From their inception, the Jazz Crusaders proved they sounded like no one else. They took as their foundation what Joe Sample called the three pillars of African American music: jazz, blues and gospel. Now, nearly a half-century after the birth of The Jazz Crusaders, Sample is leading the charge for the group’s renewal. “It’s time to revisit and revitalize the tradition that gave us purpose and identity. We’re looking back to our beginnings for our strength—back to that healing feeling when the music first got all over us.”